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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526075">I Love You, Vera</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingwithwine/pseuds/writingwithwine'>writingwithwine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wentworth (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 06:02:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingwithwine/pseuds/writingwithwine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One shot. Vera and Jake begin to be civil for the sake of Grace, but Jake insists on using the four words Vera can’t bare to hear.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Vera Bennett/Jake Stewart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Love You, Vera</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first ever fanfic! I’m not much of a writer but I recently started watching Wentworth and this is a scene that just popped into my head and I thought, why not?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Little Grace cooed and babbled in her father’s arms as Jake looked out the window of the nursery. She’d be back any minute, she said four and she wasn’t one to be late - years of corrections drum punctuality into you. In this instance, he wished she would give him just ten more minutes. He’d had such a lovely day with Grace, learning all about her, her routines, what comforted her, feeding her, even changing nappies. He enjoyed being a father. </p>
<p>Just as he anticipated, he watched as a red car pulled into the driveway. Vera closed the door with a clunk and walked towards the house. </p>
<p>‘Ah Gracie look, it’s mummy!’ Jake pointed out the window, turning Grace around to see. She continued her incoherent babble, and he nodded along, ‘Yes, it is!’ </p>
<p>‘You’ve been telling me so many good stories today Grace! I’m going to miss hearing them so much. I’m going to miss you so much.’ He spoke softly as he looked down at her in his arms and never wanted to let her go, not even for a minute. He’d never been so besotted in his life.</p>
<p>Vera shut the door quietly behind her, conscious that Grace might be sleeping. It was nice to get out of the house on her own for a while. She had made the most of the opportunity and had her hair cut and her nails done - nothing too fancy, of course - just something to make her feel slightly more human after months of 2am feeds and nappy changes. Although she complained now and then, she would never have it any other way. </p>
<p>She admitted she was apprehensive about leaving Grace alone with Jake. This was the first weekend of their ‘arrangement’. On the drive home, she wondered what she’d come home to, but to see the place as tidy as she left it, no screaming baby or flailing father... was a pleasant surprise. </p>
<p>Nearing the door of the nursery, she stopped in her tracks as she heard Jake speaking softly. She peeked through the crack in the doorway and watched as Jake rocked their daughter back and forth, giving her a smile, taking his fingertips and stroking her soft hair, kissing the top of her head gently. She was content with him, and it made her heart ache a little.</p>
<p>‘Hey,’ she said just above a whisper as she finally stepped through the door, interrupting their little moment. </p>
<p>‘Oh hey, look at you... you got your hair cut?’</p>
<p>‘I did,’ she smiled, then her face dropped suddenly ‘Why? Is.. is it bad?’ She said as her hand rose to the ends of her shorter hair. </p>
<p>‘No, no! I like it, suits you.’ He smiled gently. </p>
<p>‘Well, thanks.’ She said with a nod. ‘Can I?’ She asked, holding out her arms towards Grace. ‘How was she? Did she feed okay? Did she cry much? I’ve been worried maybe she has colic... I looked it up but—‘</p>
<p>He interrupted to stop her from spiralling. ‘Everything is fine Vera, I told you when you called... both times.’ </p>
<p>‘Yep, you did. Sorry.’ She shook her head and looked down, raising her hand to her forehead. </p>
<p>‘Honestly, you don’t have to worry.’ He put a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, but felt it tense under his touch. He quickly pulled it away. Vera kept her head down and didn’t utter a word.</p>
<p>‘Now Gracie, I want you to be a good girl for your mummy, okay? I’ll see you very soon.’ He smiled down at her and gently set her in Vera’s arms. She was half asleep now, and thankfully didn’t fuss. </p>
<p>‘Your nails too, I see... you trying to impress someone?’ He remarked, a cheeky smile crossed his face.</p>
<p>‘Are you insane?’ She asked with a quiet laugh and look of disbelief. ‘I don’t think so, Jake... besides the love of my life is right here.’ She smiled down at Grace and stroked her little chubby cheek gently. </p>
<p>Jake would have been lying to himself if that hadn’t stung a little. He wanted nothing more than to be a proper family with Grace and Vera. Although, being able to see them and be in their lives was nothing short of a miracle, after how much Vera had despised him. </p>
<p>She had noticed his attempts to be better. Without Ferguson hanging over him, he was free to clean up his act and prove to her that he deserved a second chance. So, she agreed. He would be able to spend some time with Grace, every other weekend. He wasn’t happy with the frequency of the visits, but he had to gain her trust again.</p>
<p>‘I think I’ll put her down, she’s a bit sleepy.’ Vera gently laid her down at the bottom of the crib, making sure the blanket was tucked in properly at the sides. </p>
<p>Jake made his way to the kitchen, hearing Vera’s footsteps behind him.</p>
<p>‘She’ll probably be down for an hour or two... would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee? I think I have a bottle of wine somewhere...’ She opened the cupboard above her and stood on her tiptoes, searching.</p>
<p>‘No, no it’s fine. I should be going.’ He just didn’t know how to talk to her anymore. She was trying hard to be civil and he respected it, but he didn’t want to be just ‘civil’. They had been through so much together, and somehow they still made it. Surely that meant something?</p>
<p>‘You sure? Thank you for today, I appreciate it so much. Especially not coming home to a mad house. She is so content around you.’ She smiled softly.</p>
<p>‘You don’t need to thank me. She’s perfect. You know I want to be involved as much as I can.’ He nodded. Vera...’</p>
<p>‘Yes?’</p>
<p>He took a deep breath. ‘When are we going to talk?’</p>
<p>‘Talk? What about? We are talking aren’t we?’ She asked with a puzzled look, filling the kettle.</p>
<p>‘About us.’</p>
<p>There was silence as Vera closed her eyes and the word ‘fuck’ silently crossed her lips. How many times where they going to circle this roundabout? She had made it clear more than enough times. </p>
<p>As she opened her eyes again, she turned and looked directly into his. ‘There is no ‘us’, Jake. You know that.’ She set the kettle down, but didn’t bother boiling it. </p>
<p>‘Vera, I love you.’ He moved forward to take her hand but she pulled it away.</p>
<p>‘Don’t you dare.’ He could hear the anger beginning to creep into her voice.</p>
<p>‘It’s the truth.’ He pleaded with her. He didn’t know how many times he had to say it before she would believe him. He knew the mistakes of his past, but this was no blackmail. </p>
<p>‘If... if you loved me, you would have cut Ferguson off. You wouldn’t have told her every gory detail about us.’ She stepped closer to him.</p>
<p>‘If you loved me, you wouldn’t have been fucking the nurse, while you were living here with me.’ She willed the thickness in her throat away, as she moved even closer to him.</p>
<p>‘If you loved me, you wouldn’t have lied straight to my face, when a man broke into my home and held me by my throat.’ He could see her beginning to tremble, looking straight up at him. </p>
<p>Jake opened his mouth to speak but Vera cut him off.</p>
<p>‘No.’ She held a hand up to stop him. ‘If you loved me... you wouldn’t have smuggled drugs into Wentworth and put my career in jeopardy.’ He looked down.</p>
<p>‘I was stupid enough that I going to give it all up for you, Jake. My job, my home, everything I worked for. I was going to go at the drop of a hat, just for you. The only person that fell here was me.’ She hadn’t been expecting the tumble of words that escaped her. She felt release within her as her breathing settled. </p>
<p>‘Vera...’ He could see that this had been brewing for a while. He understood. He just didn’t know what he could say that would make it better. The look of hurt on her face made the guilt surge inside him. ‘I am so sorry.’ </p>
<p>‘I can <i>never</i> trust you again.’</p>
<p>‘I just wish I could—‘ He spoke softly.</p>
<p>‘Jake, just go.’</p>
<p>‘— prove to you that I love you.’</p>
<p>‘GET OUT!’ </p>
<p>Jake’s eyes widened, then he looked down as he silently gave a nod, walked down into the hallway and she startled when he slammed the door behind him.</p>
<p>Every <i>‘I love you’</i> was like a punch to the gut. </p>
<p>
  <i>‘Why do you like me? I’m pathetic, I’m... Vinegar Tits.’</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>‘I really care about you, Vera.’</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>‘Because deep down, you know a man like Jake could never love you.’</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>‘He tells me everything, we laugh at how pathetic you are - especially in the bedroom.’</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>‘I love you, Vera.’</i>
</p>
<p>Grace let out a cry from the nursery. Vera jumped out of her thoughts, wiping the single tear that had trickled down her cheek. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together once more, to go and comfort her daughter.</p>
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